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Happy New Year All!

Tradition in my area is roast pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes for NYD meal. Mom also adds apples and chicken thighs to the roasting pot. I took rolls and a fruit cake for dessert. Three of us had plenty. Now I'm home and on the edge of comatose. HNY to the group.

Im in both camps of in favour of Wiki and not in favour of Wiki. Wiki is NOT a reliable source of info. Especially when one wants to have 100% pure unadulterated proof of something being an event, historical or otherwise, or specifications of numbers of something. It is however, a valuable site for information that gets close enough to the truth to casually get you by. Like how @Robert Hall was saying. But like @balthazar is saying, Wiki is not the site you go to either. I use Wiki for fast info. I also use Wiki to confirm information that I already knew but forgot or I wasnt quite sure of. But when I do use Wiki for fast information, Im also conscience and cautious to realize and understand that the information I got may be erroneous somewhat. Close to the truth, but flawed in someway or other... I think its good that its free for us to use when we want to access it. I think its cool and understand the reasons behind the founder of the site does not want to go the advertising route (as that will most probably skew information even worse as it is now in its current state) but I certainly wont be giving MY money to a site that may contain false information either. I would prefer to pay thousands of dollars to my very own personalized home library containing all kinds of encyclopedias and magazines and then give lots and lots of money to my local neighborhood school and municipal library to maintain and acquire lots and lots of educational books, the old school way the way it used to be, than to give a measly dollar to Wikipedia... No...I aint a Boomer that does not like technology. I love the internet and what the internet means for humanity going forward. Instant communication and transfer of information. What took centuries and decades and years and months and days to transfer and share information now only takes seconds... The internet is humanity's latest and greatest invention that made us evolve and change the way we live for ever like how we invented tools and the wheel and fire.... But, sometimes, the internet and its information that it contains, and the way we use all that, is seriously flawed...and while Wiki is awesome...Wiki is like your know-it-all uncle or dad... you realize that your know-it-all uncle or your know-it-all dad maybe wrong more often than not...

Happy New Years all! Celebration of the day with our traditional Korean New Years day soup. This is a one month love affair that my wife and I do. Over the course of the month of December, hand made mundo aka pot stickers, hand made rice cakes, home made beef broth made with 3 types of beef and beef bones. Seasonings as it cooks, strained to be a clear rich flavorful broth that has rice cakes, mundo, egg, near fat free well seasoned shredded flank steak, sesame seeds on top. Love this soup.

Amazing to read that those of us with similar love of the auto industry also have similar career tracks. I went and graduated from Medical school, had a close friend die in my arms and with the help of my Grandfather went to Osaka Japan to do an internship at Minolta Corporation. Was asked to stay as long as I went back to school, so got a degree from Kobe University in International Marketing and sales and fell in Love. Was denied as I was not Japanese, came home met the woman who became my wife via an introduction from my parents. Yes arranged marriage for this white guy to a Korean who has two amazing kids. Alex my son was 4 and Amy my daughter was 8. We are now 28 years and a few days later of marriage as we got married on Dec 24th. Had my own business that went strong till the state changed the laws about CNG and sold it to a bigger company that could deal with the politics. Been part of multiple startups in the tech industry that have failed and been sold to bigger companies. Been at Dell Tech now for 9 years but via mergers as I went to Isilon Storage which was bought by EMC and merged with Dell to become Dell Tech. Longest place I have ever worked but love my job. We all find out path in life with many interesting bumps and detours. HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! Wishing you all a very exciting and prosperous year full of adventure. Looking forward to the next 50 years. Yup that would make be 102 since I am just now Mid Life.

I see similarities in this with my life during the same time frame as yours. Before I begin I would like to offer my condolences with the passing of your dad. The mid 1990s for me was just school and partying. Not taking life too seriously. But then in 1996-1997, never liking school because I couldnt do what I really wanted to do with my life, I too started my career in more or less in the same time frame as yours. I opened up my restaurant. I dropped university to do so, never finishing and getting my degree (in marketing)I decided to work long and hard hours (in my own business at least) to compensate for the lack of a bachelors or even a masters degree. Another similarity being that I too, had dreams about my career path that never panned out the way I wanted so I had to settle for something else. That ultimately did pan out. And Im assuming your career path is ultimately successful too from what Im understanding with our short conversations we have in these forums. I still partied hard when I first opened up my restaurant as I was still a young man. And single. Boy, I wasnt mature during that time. Mature enough to own and manage and work my restaurant with my partner, and responsible enough not to blow all my money on partying and girls, but definitely not marriage material. (this is where I may differ from you...and Im sorry your engagement to your fiance fell apart...but maybe for the better? ) Then the new millennium came and just like that, I was ready to settle down. And I met my now, wifey. My restaurant had established itself in the community as a great place for a quick bite to to eat and I was ready to be a man. And I had to learn fast that a wife...is NOT your mommy... I did have a hiccup along the way as I opened up a second restaurant. A Greek and Italian cuisine themed restaurant, as opposed to this one which ia a fast food joint, that...failed. This was a decade ago. Like you, I had a "start-up" that failed... My dad passed away in 2006, about a decade after your passing of your dad. Although my life may not have happened like yours exactly like yours, philosophically, its similar in a similar time frame. I too, am excited to see what the next decade will bring. As long as we have, what the French call, "La joie de vivre" and we will both be fine.

I look back on the late 90s as a period of adventure and growth with good and bad memories..I was in my late 20s, it was the end of my PhD dream/nightmare, breaking it off w/ my fiancee, moving from Michigan to Colorado, the beginning of my corporate career, the death of my father...all in a span of about 30 months from mid 97 to late 99... followed by the early 00s with a period of career growth and adventure in startup companies (that both failed), my first experiences at consulting, etc.. Looking forward to what the next decade brings..

Same here. The Y2K scare seems to me like it was yesterday... I dont feel like Im 20 years older. But everything around me says otherwise. I got married a couple years after Y2K and now my beautiful, blushing bride is a mom of two teenagers. I understand Mr. DFelt though, because after the new millennium, its easy to forget that 2006 is in a different decade than 2016. We still think in terms of "new millennium" and the 2000s... We are 20 years removed, 2 decades removed, from the year 2000, but we are still in the "new millennium" of the 2000s. And still quite early in the 2000s. When we pass this current decade and enter the 2030s, maybe then we will stop seeing the Y2Ks as the "new millennium".

For my usual use cases, I find Wikipedia quite useful. It's definitely lacking in detail on certain subjects and I've seen factual errors. But I don't have to go to a library and dig through encyclopedias or specialized books when I need to quickly find facts like the wheelbase of a 463 series G-wagen, Robin Trower's discography after 1973, the engine choices on an '89 Regal, facts about the towns on Lake Constance, or the county seat of Knox County, Oh...

The adaptive cruise control till get you all the way down to zero and allow you to creep along at low speed in traffic. If it brings you to a full stop, you need to tap the gas pedal or the resume button to go again, but after that it will just follow the car in front. I got 36 on the way to Virginia and 34 on the way home (more uphill than down). The weather wasn't cold enough for the windshield to fog over, so I didn't get a chance to test what you are describing. The fixed first gear only really makes initial take off feel less rubbery than a traditional CVT, but you get out of that first gear pretty quickly.

That said, I do still have a lot of print books and magazines. Subscribed to multiple car magazines in print for decades before switching to digital editions. I used to buy heavy $50-75 soft bound books to learn specific software technologies before switching to PDF editions. I do miss strolling through computer bookstores ( RIP Computer Literacy, Englewood, Co) and physical bookstores (B&N is still around, but I was a long time Borders customer)....

yup!!! I nix my comment about old school personal libraries and me forking over money to fund me one of these. Ill take a hint about what @Robert Hall said... and I too, could move on from paper and as long as digitally, there are reliable sources to info such as digital Britannica...then Im good.

DOHHHHHHHH ? Where did the time fly again? Wow, sad that I cannot find more auto's to love in the last 10 years. I am very excited about the EVs that are going to launch over the next 2 years and hopefully will have a new group of auto's to love and own.

Totally agree, This is probably one of the best well sourced Wiki pages about the history and the relevant digital version today of Encyclopedias. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia I love the clear factual sources on this wiki page. If I was to have kids today, as my son is 32 and Daughter is 36, I would sign up for the digital Britannica access as you constantly have the latest valid sources for school use. Makes a great gift to Nieces and nephews too.

Interesting..didn't realize encyclopedias still existed...good to know they have a digital edition. I love reading and learning, but have long moved beyond the need for paper..

@balthazar Totally agree +1,000,000,000,000 times on the abuse of campaign donations. I honestly think 180 days is plenty of time for re-election and election campaigns and not what Potus 45 has turned into almost 4yr constant campaign donation / spending. In regards to Wiki, @balthazar @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 I love the fact that we have NOT lost our encyclopedia sources. https://www.britannica.com/

The adaptive cruise in my last Corolla (17 LE, no options, Uber lease) was pretty good at slowing down when cut off, getting back up to speed after the road clears, and holding speeds as low as 28mph. The most irritating issue with it was driving along city streets with cars parked on both sides and the slight curve when the car would get very upset. Also, in cold weather, the windshield might fog or ice over the sensor up top lighting up the dashboard like a Christmas tree and disabling the systems. Has the new system improved over the old one? I was able to get 34-36mpg in mixed mostly rideshare driving with the old CVT, and about 38 in straight highway driving at 60-65. Does the fixed first gear improved the city mileage much? I imagine it won't affect the highway numbers at all, though.

Yes, a decade is 10 years...so 2000-2009 and 2010-2019 are two separate decades, at least in this reality. It is fascinating to realize that we are two decades into this century, and that 1999 was over 20 years ago...the last 20 years feel like they have gone by fast...

It strikes me; even tho we're in an age where information is instantaneous and everywhere, presidential candidates somehow apparently still need $250 million or $500 million "to get their message out". Like there's really any new messages. This was my uncle, who passed in '96. This account likely refers to the 1970s-80s : I want a nation-level cap on campaign donations/spending. If you can't get your message out and do some traveling/staffing on $10 million (limited to 365 days before election day), you're not qualified to hold a national office. [* $10 million is a random figure, but I don't think -again; in the Information Age- that's it's too far from the possible.]

Not doubting your love for these vehicles. Not discrediting you for your choices either, especially when you actually own them. But...those would belong in the decade preceding the one that just just left us. Happy New Year by the way!!! 2010-2019...

Colleges make it very clear that WIKI is NOT a reliable source of info though many use it for such and I believe not all but most is valid information. Sadly, Wiki really needs to find a better way to become a valid source of Info for the masses.

Wikipedia usually does that starting around Giving Tuesday (Tuesday after Thanksgiving) every year... I usually drop them $20 or so every year as they are a great resource I use everyday... I don't really get any email from them the rest of the year.

The Audi 3.0TFSI has a similar whine (S4, SQ5, A8 3.0TFSI, etc). Well, it has the same Eaton TVS 4-lobe supercharger (albeit a shorter version TVS R1320 version rather than the LT4's R1740 or LT5's R2300). That is also Audi's most reliable engine in the current lineup. It is new enough to not have the 1st gen FSI's Direct Injection intake fouling issues and it does not have the grenading turbo problems of all the VW-Audi engines with a check valve and oil screen in the turbo oil feed. FYI, if you own a car with the Supercharged 3.0T (not the newer Hot-Vee single turbo 3.0T), the TVS R1320 makes about 33% more boost than the 3.0T engine actually uses. So the ECU cracks the bypass valve at higher rpms to bleed off boost it doesn't want. This overboost and bleed concept is also used on the Jaguar AJ133 and other supercharged engines. It means that if you screw with the ECU program and keep that bypass valve shut longer and open it less, you get quite a bit more power... about 100 hp and 90 ft-lbs more over the upper half of the rev range.

Do Corvettes qualify? Maybe the concave is not concave enough and its not flanked by enough closure at the sides?

I defected back to the Germans this Christmas... got myself an Audi A8L 4.0T. The car sold new for 109. But at 4 years and 40K miles as a Certified Pre-Owned, it is $31.6K making it an exceptional value. This is in part due to the SUV craze and in part due to the fact that car enthusiasts are generally gravitate to the S-cars, the M-cars, the V-cars and the AMGs. This left the traditional flagship sedan with low demand and fantastically bad residual values (71% depreciation in 4 years). It is no S8 Plus for sure, but it is brisk enough.

I just realized today marks 14 years that I've been on the Cheers and Gears forum. I found it in 2005 when everyone was hypothesizing about the then new LaCrosse and I was approaching needing a new car. Three years later, I bought that car. But I'm still here ...

there was a camry driver in front/side of me the other day, about that age, weaving all over, driving like badly drunk but likely just they couldn't stay in the lane themselves anymore. I suppose those lane keep assists will help those people. I thought i was going to get hit a few times.